A Tucson man was sentenced to probation Thursday in connection with a fatal 2020 shooting at a strip club.
Stanley Gerome Calvin was sentenced to five years probation by Pima County Superior Court Judge Howard Fell in connection with the killing of Daniel Antonio Ortiz, 37.
Calvin had pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter.
Tucson police said a man went into a midtown Tucson strip club and opened fire early on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. One man was killed, police said. Video courtesy of Tucson Police Department.
Ernest Ortiz, Ortiz’s father, told the court that the incident has affected his family in unimaginable ways. He described his son as a good, hard-working person who did not deserve this fate.
Ortiz’s daughter, who lost her dad a week before her 14th birthday, also spoke about her father’s legacy. She said Ortiz was her best friend and truly “one of a kind.”
Calvin offered condolences to Ortiz’s family during the sentencing. He said that although he “wasn’t the shooter,” he takes accountability for being an accomplice.
In the shooting, a group of men showed up to Ten’s Showclub, 5120 E. Speedway, on October 31, 2020 and were refused admittance. Ortiz, who was the bouncer, and other managers cited a dress code violation. The men then reportedly changed clothes and tried to reenter. However, they still weren’t allowed inside and a fight ensued, records say.
Later that night, a white sedan pulled up to the club and the gunman, who was wearing a gray beanie, surgical mask, sunglasses and blue latex gloves, entered the club and opened fire, killing Ortiz, records said. Calvin was later arrested by Tucson Police.
Calvin was initially charged with first degree murder, but accepted a plea agreement that instead charged him with manslaughter. Calvin’s attorneys, Kristine Alger and Lynn Allan, provided evidence that showed he was not the shooter, records show.
Calvin was connected to the shooting through the white sedan that was seen on surveillance video, which appeared to match a Chevy Malibu that was registered to him at the time, records say. Calvin admitted to being at Ten’s Showclub the night of the incident but did not return after the group of men were not allowed entry.
Calvin also said he sold the Chevy Malibu two to three weeks before the shooting but did not remove the plate or transfer the title, records say.
During the sentencing, Fell asked Deputy County Attorney Mark Diebolt how they reached the decision for the lesser charge. Diebolt told the court it was decided that it was “the most sure way to get justice.”
